Christmas Angels
by angie9281
Summary: Sookie finds herself dealing with a less than enthusiastic Eric on Christmas Eve. Can she put a little holiday cheer into the big Viking?


**Chapter 1**

The tree was decorated to the nines as the Yule log was on the flat screen TV. The snow on the screen was the only snow that Bon Temps would ever see, barring some kind of Christmas miracle and judging by the track record of herself and all of her friends, Sookie reckoned that the quota for Christmas, or any miracles was more than reached. It had been a peaceful stretch of months-no witches, vampire gods or psychotic weres to ruin things for anyone. Thing were simply…normal, or as normal as a town with weres and vamps could be.

Stepping on her tip toes she tried to set that star onto the top of her tree, a tree she and Jason had gone out to get together, Jason being as good as to even set it up for her one night while she was at work. Today had been her decorating day and it was so nearly complete. One more try to put the star on the tree…

Boom! She slipped on the carpet under her feet and almost fell on her rear but was caught by a pair of cool and strong hands. "God….I would almost rather I had fallen than to have almost fallen right in front of you. But thank you, I appreciate it."

"You know, you do have chairs you would stand on. And I am sure a stepstool somewhere around here." Eric grinned at her as he took the star and set it on top of her tree, the icing on the cake, as it were. "But I also know how stubborn you are. You keep on trying."

"Yep…..thanks for the assist." Sookie replied as she looked up at her star on the tree. "I never imagined you were much for Christmas. Then again, you never were a Christian."

"Religion and I are like oil and water. But over the years, I have come to….tolerate the festivities that come with the holidays. I still don't plan on ever going to midnight mass though."

"That would be a sight to see. But the last time you were in a church, you wound up silvered." Sookie replied, leaning against him as they watched the colored lights on the tree twinkling. "So what brings you along? Want a New Blood?"

"No. I ate before I got here." Eric replied and Sookie had a feeling his meal was more the organic kind rather than the canned sort. Some things never changed. "Your tree looks…..nice." he said, looking at her tree from top to bottom.

"I was thinking of going out to look at Christmas lights. There's a lightshow you can drive through to look at the crazy things people do to their houses." her smiled faded as she looked at his almost bored expression. "Of course, I can just go alone. Tonight's the last night and I really want to-"

He then looked thoughtful. "It's a warm Christmas Eve and I did come by to bring you something…"

"I've got something for you too." she interjected, heading to go fetch her gift for him but he stopped her. "What?"

"How about I drive? I mean, I would prefer to fly over but then you wouldn't see the lights as I know you would…" he trailed off, watching her face as she frowned, a frown that quickly turned into a grin.

"You would really go with me?"

"Tell anyone I went out looking at Christmas lights for….fun…..and I will…..well, you will need to be…disciplined." he replied seriously but with that mischievous smirk she had come to know and love.

"Let's go then."

**Chapter 2**

Riding shotgun in the car he had recently gotten himself-a sleek black convertible, no less-Sookie was excited as they reached the neighborhood where the light show was. Directing him to follow the line of cars entering the temporarily one way street, they were soon surrounded by lights of every color and many different nativity scenes, to which Sookie noticed her Viking was trying hard not to roll his eyes at. "I appreciate you taking me here…..I mean, I know holidays aren't really your thing and all."

He shrugged as they cruised slowly past a garish display of the big inflatable decorations. "I have always wanted to expand my horizons. Though I do wonder just what that has to do with the so called spirit of Christmas." he nodded towards the one inflatable at the front of the herd, a plump pig in a Santa costume. Then they reached a stately white house with twinkling white and blue lights trimming the house and snaking around the trees in front. "Then again, some of it is….tolerable, I suppose."

She swore she saw a slight hint of awe in his blue eyes, even in the relative darkness of the car. "I always knew there was a goodness and a softness in you. You're liking this more than you're letting on. And wait till we get to the end, there is a spot we get out of the car and walk through a garden of lit up trees!"

"To think I have gone from being a Viking to TV pitchman to….looking at holiday lights." he made a face to which she burst out laughing. "Again, you tell anyone about this little adventure…god, if Pam knew where we were….." more laughter from Sookie.

They finally reached the end and managed to find a parking spot, the eager people swarming towards the three dozen trees in the garden blissfully unaware of the supernatural beings among them, making their way around the trees, each decorated with a different theme or color scheme, Sookie pulled him along with her. Then she stopped before they reached the end of the tree garden. He had hung behind, looking at one tree in particular. "What is it? Find something you want to use as a weapon?" she joked as she looked at his face, which had changed from somewhat disinterested to almost….thoughtful. Wistful.

"The angel on top of the tree…..look at it." he said, nudging her gently. As she looked up at it, there was a familiarity about it. The face, the dark hair….even the tunic style shirt he was wearing. It was very familiar. And then on the branches below, hung a smaller angel, with dark hair, a mischievous grin and features still familiar to the two peering at it.

Sookie looked at the one at the top and then at the lower one. "It looks like….Godric….and Nora." she said, touching the Nora Angel gently. "But it's got to be some kind of coincidence. But that one….he has Godric's tattooing."

"I thought it would be a good idea to try to nudge that big Viking towards more of a festive mood." a voice called from behind. Niall was standing, leaning against a elm tree with a smirk on his face. "And it looks like that still heart of his isn't as frosty still as he may wish to let on."

"He's not as heartless as you may think. You know perfectly well what he is like." Sookie replied with a small smile."

"I do know. He is a good man, I have to rip on him when I can. I meant about the holidays. He is stubborn to not enjoy them. I wanted to create something that would remind him that his loved ones are always watching over him, that he needs to appreciate what he has in the here and now."

Scowling for a moment, Eric had to concede the faerie had succeeded. "It's…..a tribute to my loved ones that I will not forget."

"did you look at the rest of the tree?" Niall asked. "I mean, closely?"

The two shook their heads and walked in a circle to the other side of the tree. There were more angels that only Eric recognized. "My mother…father….even my baby sister….."

Sookie peered over at the tiny angels, seeing the details in them was breathtaking. "They are beautiful…." she paused as she looked at Eric, who fingered the lifelike ornaments with a reverence that was breaking her heart. "I need to be alone for a moment." he said, walking around to look up at the angel atop the tree and the one meant to be his sister. "Please." he said, no looking at either of them.

Finally, after ten minutes standing before the tree that held such meaning to him, he rejoined Sookie and Niall who had kept a respectable distance from the vampire as they took a few minutes to enjoy the other trees.

"You okay?" Sookie asked him as he joined them again, seeing that he had tried, but failed to erase the last traces of the blood tears he had obviously shed.

He looked down at her and then over at Niall. "Thank you. That's really all I can say. I feel…..strangely peaceful. And more thankful than ever before. And I can almost feel them watching over me…"

"It was my Christmas gift to you, for taking such good care of my granddaughter." Niall said as he shook the Viking's hand. "As for you, Sookie, this was my gift to you as well. To put something of the Christmas, or any holiday spirit within your boyfriend here. I know you wanted that for him. To know the joy and love that one should feel this time of year. I hope you two enjoy the rest of the holiday." with a kiss to her forehead,, the faerie vanished from the spot.

**Epilogue**

The trip home was silent and remained as such until they were inside the house. And there on the tree, the angels from the tree earlier were there, the Godric angel on top with Eric's family and Nora settled just below on the branches underneath. "Your grandfather is something else." mused the vampire as he settled down onto her couch after admiring the ornaments one more time.

"Yes. And I am lucky to have him in my life. Along with other people I certainly can't imagine my life without,." Sookie replied, going into the kitchen for a moment, returning with a small wrapped box in hand.

"Oh. That reminds me…." he said pulling out something from his leather jacket. Handing it to her, she handed her gift over to him, a slender package that held a good amount of weight. "Ladies' first." he said nodding towards the box in her hand. "I didn't really get it for the sake of it being Christmas but…I wanted to get you something just…because."

Opening it, she found a small box and opening it, she found a set of sapphire earrings that were as blue as blue could get. "Oh, they are beautiful….thank you….." she kissed him gently on the lips as he took them and helped her put them in. he stood back a moment.

"Not as beautiful as you are but I a glad you like them."

"Open yours." she said, wiping a tear off her cheek.

Doing so, he was taken aback by the gift before him. He had not seen it in centuries and had thought it long lost. "How is this possible?"

"When you have a faerie grandfather, anything is possible. And I had it restored." she said. "I figured you just don't have a large enough collection of weapons so….."

Taking the leather bound hilt of the dagger that had been his mother's-whose bravery and fighting prowess he saw in Sookie, he closed his hand around the hilt tightly. "Thank you…for this and everything else you have brought out in me."

"And thank you for what you brought out of me." Sookie said and embracing one another, they shared a kiss under the watchful eyes of the porcelain angel ornaments shining upon her Christmas tree.

**The End**


End file.
